The Washington critic., 1887-11-07
THEY WE'RE "snANoHAIED."
The Story of Abduction and Suffering
Told hx lNNo Hoys.

The Story of Abduction and Suffering
Told by 1wO Boys,
Edward s. Cufran and John Screven, who
have created such an excitement by their
startling tale OF abduction aud inhuman
treatment by the Chesapeake Bay oyster
men, have heard from their friends In At
lanta, and are fairly out OF their difficulty
Their statement is to the effect that they
were decoyed on board OF boat in BIltl-
more and taken down to the oyster beds
near Crapo, in the Hoonga River, whore
they suffered most inhuman treatment
They were on boat named the Annie NJ
Haywood, commanded by Captain W. NJ.
Phillips. The mate was l.. a. Adams
While they were there a mulatto boy,
about 10 years old, had three OF his ribs
broken by blow from capstan bar, and
was afterward taken out IN a yawl boat by
the captain and never sgaln heard OF. They
escaped by swimming ashore while the cap
tain and mate were drunk.
The lads have been la the hand8 OF the
local reporters since they left the station.
house yesterday morning, and after SUI.
dry improvements as TO wardrobe and u
few very necessary touches as to toilet,
they presented far different appearance
from that OF the night previous. They
have been kept repeating their story until
they have become heartily tired OF 1t.
Their narrative has every color OF truth,
and the simple, Straightforward way In
which they tell 1t Is especially convincing.
Among other things they said yesterday
was that none OF the men engaged In sep.
arating the shells from the oysters were
allowed to sit down, or even kneel TO their
work, but were compelled to stand on their
feet and drag the shells and debris out with
their hands, no matter how sore and lace
rated they might be. The fatigue Of such
a posture maintained from sunrise aud
sometimes earlier till dark can easily be
imagined.
After the boys left the ship aud reached
Baltimore, Screven, who Is the younger,
found the following postal card In the post
office for him, having been forwarded from
New York.
ATLANTA, GA, oct. /, 1887.
DEAR Bup; II has been now two weeks since
we have heard from you. Did you know that
worried to death about you not writing. Have
yon received the ten dollars papa sent You :
Write as soon as you get this. pun
He explained that 1t was from his little
loyear.old brother, Arthur, who was nick
named "Pud" when he was q baby.
~ recollect that birthday" he remarked,
rather dolefully. at is the first eau re-
member when 1 didn't have o big spread.
On that day got nothing to eat at all, be-
cause we hadn't culled our hundred bushels
on the day before"
1t has come to light that "Shanghaiing,"
as the abduction for service on the oyster
boats Is called, is not at all uncommon.
The men who are removed In this way are
usually ignorant and of the vicious element,
and on that account there Is little done In
the matter by the authorities OF any one
else.
Screven has had two kilograms from hi:
brother in Atlanta since the publication OF
| his story. The last one, which came yes
terday evening, tells him that an importan,
letter and box have been mailed.
They spent last night at the Harris
House, and INDUCED In the luxury Of O
bed for the first time since they left New
York, four weeks ago last Thursday.
The boys intend to do everything In theli
power to have their prosecutors brought to
justice.